


To Receive The Call

by bessemerprocess



Category: Fake News RPF, Pundit & Broadcast Journalist RPF (US), Real News RPF, The Newsroom (US TV)
Genre: Fake News commenting on fake Real News, Gen, Pre-Slash, Promotion, Sloan Sabbith is Rachel Maddow, Sloan gets her own show, Success, Title Borrowed from Sports Night, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-18
Updated: 2013-02-18
Packaged: 2017-11-29 18:03:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/689877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bessemerprocess/pseuds/bessemerprocess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mac and Sloan have a drink after the reality starts to settle in.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Receive The Call

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ErinPtah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ErinPtah/gifts).



> Much thanks to my beta.

“Jon Stewart thinks I’m an idiot,” Sloan says, and sinks further down into Mac’s couch. It’s been a long, long day. Not bad at all, just overwhelming, and Sloan had taken Mac up on her offer of alcohol without a second thought.

Mac flicks the television off. It’s a rerun, they’re usually still at work when the Daily Show comes on, but through the magic of the internet and Comedy Central’s copious reruns, everyone around the studio keeps up. “He doesn’t think you’re an idiot,” Mac says. Sloan just raises a questioning eyebrow. Both Stewart and Colbert had run with her Fukiyama debacle, prolonging the agony of the event. Not that she hadn’t deserved it. Once she’d gotten done kicking herself, she’d eventually been able to see the humor of the thing.

“Well, maybe during the four-seven thing, but not for this. This thing was just easy to make funny,” Mac says with a shrug. “Drink more.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sloan says with a snappy salute, but pours tequila into their empty glass anyway.

Sloan has long since learned that Mac plus copious amount of tequila in a public setting only led to bad things. Only some quick thinking on Sloan’s part and the mercy of a rather bored cop had gotten them through that night without needing to make bail. Mac swears up and down the whole thing was a fluke, but Sloan has seen her do crazier things sober, and so has restricted tequila to nights that end up back at Mac’s. Not that Sloan minds ending up at Mac’s, not at all.

Mac takes down the tequila in a single swig, practiced and easy. Sloan absolutely does not watch her throat as she swallows.

“It’s one of the perils of modern reporting,” Mac says, arms punctuating her point, glass still in hand. “You can’t escape Jon Stewart. Or Stephen Colbert, for that matter. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be coming to their attention any less, now.”

Sloan sighs, and sips at her tequila. Mac’s a drink ahead of her, but Mac is also better at holding her liquor, and so Mac is upright and coherent, where Sloan is warm and fuzzy, and just wants to curl up into Mac’s shoulder and sleep. Yesterday had been for signing contracts and celebrating all night long. Today, well, today was when things really started to become reality.

“Stop panicking. I can tell when you panic, you know. You do a thing.” Mac pokes Sloan with her glass with a little more force than probably is necessary.

“That’s going to bruise.” Sloan prods her arm where the glass hit while Mac rolls her eyes.

“You’re going to be the host of the Sloan Sabbith Show, or whatever we end up calling it. News with Sloan. News By the Numbers. Sloan Explains What Is Happening In the World With Math. Anyway, no panicking, and no bruising!” Mac declares.

“I’m pretty sure you can’t just announce that I’ll no longer bruise. It’s not like having a cable news show makes you a superhero or invincible or anything.”

Mac frowns. “Are you sure? I kind of think you might secretly already be a superhero.”

“Maybe the superhero of providing comedy gold to news satire shows.”

“Sloan Sabbith, seriously now. You are going to be amazing and you know it. Were there or wasn’t there a horde of rabid fangirls waiting outside the building for your autograph tonight?” Mac asks.

“I’m not sure three people count as a horde. You need at least double digits for a crowd, and a horde is bigger than a crowd,” Sloan says. Not that she doesn’t appreciate her three stalwart fans. She really, really does.

“Grammatical preciseness aside, people stood out in the dark and the cold for you. Also, I think you are amazing.” Mac is smiling at her, and Sloan has to look away.

“I’m pretty sure you’re biased, Mac.”

“Not biased, an expert,” Mac claims, filling her glass again.

“A biased expert at the very least,” Sloan replies, and holds out her glass so that Mac can fill it, too.

“Fine, I’m biased, but I am an expert at this, and so is Charlie and Will and even Leonora. You, my friend, are going to rock the cable news world.”

Sloan knocks back her drink and sets the glass on Mac’s coffee table before finally allowing herself to lean into Mac’s shoulder.

“Yeah. It’s going to be great, isn’t it?” Sloan asks.

“It really is, kid,” Mac says and throws her arm around Sloan’s shoulders.


End file.
